Students, faculty, industry and government representatives were among attendees at the inaugural SCALE-Con in Washington, D.C., in February. (Purdue University photo/Kevin Krisp)

The Scalable Asymmetric Lifecycle Engagement (SCALE) program, the only U.S. defense microelectronics public-private-academic workforce development consortium, is now Purdue University’s largest-ever federally funded research effort.

SCALE leaders announced more than $100 million in total funding from the Department of War, a recent increase to the current contract through fiscal year 2027.

That funding, to be distributed among SCALE’s 35 partner universities, will help SCALE expand efforts to meet workforce needs in the microelectronics design and manufacturing chain through unique courses, mentoring, internship matching and targeted research projects for college students in several microelectronics specialty areas.

“This ongoing and now enhanced funding reflects DoW’s continued confidence in the SCALE program,” said Mark Lundstrom, Purdue’s chief semiconductor officer and the Don and Carol Scifres Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. “Our industry partners see this commitment and recognize that participating in SCALE is a strong investment in developing the skilled workforce they need. And SCALE, through this latest funding, will be able to leverage Purdue’s leadership in semiconductor education to grow a sustained pipeline of highly skilled U.S. citizen microelectronics talent, which is foundational to our national security.”

SCALE’s co-directors are Purdue’s Peter Bermel, Elmore Professor in Purdue’s Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Kerrie Douglas, associate professor of engineering education. The Trusted and Assured Microelectronics Program in the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering oversees SCALE on behalf of the Department of War. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, manages the program.

Malcolm McClymont, a graduate student in the SCALE program at Purdue University, discusses his poster display in the System-on-Chip section at SCALE-Con. (Purdue University photo/Kevin Krisp)

SCALE now produces the largest coordinated pipeline of defense microelectronics talent in the United States. According to program data, SCALE graduates enter the workforce eligible for clearances, with 339 alumni already placed in defense microelectronics jobs across 75 employer partners, and more than 161 alumni entered graduate studies in microelectronics-relevant fields.

About 64% of SCALE alumni are working in defense or for defense contractors. Nine of the 10 most common employers for SCALE graduates and interns are in the defense sector, according to program statistics.

By embedding defense-relevant standards into academia, SCALE reduces employer onboarding time and lowers training costs, while increasing transition efficiency into defense-sector roles.

Purdue leads the SCALE academic consortium, which currently includes 1,175 students across 35 member universities. Since its founding in 2020, SCALE has supported 1,750 students, helping address a critical workforce shortage in the defense semiconductor sector, while providing an increasingly higher return on investment for taxpayers.

SCALE is a public-private-academic partnership focused on five technical specialty areas: compound semiconductors, heterogeneous integration and advanced packaging, system-on-chip design, radiation hardening, and trusted artificial intelligence. Students prepare for careers through apprenticeships, internships and research opportunities with more than 75 government and industry partners. These partners, along with member universities, help define workforce needs, curriculum and hands-on training experiences.

“The Department of War’s continued investment also underscores SCALE’s growing impact,” said Dan DeLaurentis, Purdue’s executive vice president for research and the Bruce Reese Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics. “SCALE’s return on investment has nearly tripled over the past 18 months, reaching $9.50 for every dollar invested, while the cost per student has been cut in half.”

Continued funding will allow SCALE to provide more hands-on learning opportunities for non-traditional students, like veterans, and for all students through defense internships and apprenticeships. The program also will strongly emphasize creating a foundation for students to develop, manufacture and test AI-enabled, secure, integrated systems.

Purdue’s national leadership in microelectronics and semiconductors is a cornerstone of Purdue Computes, a comprehensive initiative that spans computing departments, physical artificial intelligence, quantum science and semiconductor innovation.

Source: SCALE expands its national impact, becomes Purdue’s largest federally funded research effort